


Eternal Maidenhood

by Ellie214



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 進撃の巨人 | Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-10-14 19:52:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie214/pseuds/Ellie214
Summary: Erwin Smith, a Scout, stumbles upon a secret while in Titan country that had been hidden away for years. Upon finding that entire races of people had not been wiped out, as previously thought, Erwin attempts to discover two things: why the Eldians had been lied to, and how he can get them on their side. What he finds might upset the entire battle against the Titans, or enrage a new enemy against the Eldians.





	1. Chapter 1

**Year 840**

Erwin Smith bolted through the line of saplings, eyes wild.

He was lost. Very lost. And lost was as good as dead in Titan country.

But how had he gotten lost to begin with?

As he picked through the fallen branches and itchy foliage, he began to reflect on his series of mistakes. He had been rearing the left flank in the formation, holding a position behind the new recruits, whom he hoped hadn’t come to rely on him unnecessarily. This was his first mistake. As they galloped through the forest, the sky darkened, and the sounds of wildlife quieted. Erwin noted that the air held a twinge of uncertainty and that a gamble would have to be made soon, but at the back, he had the advantage. He could turn around and head back to the wall with little to no issue. But if someone was coming from behind, he would be the first to engage the enemy. The odds of this possibility were slim, he knew, so he took the back. It would appear to be a coward's position to the untrained Scout, but to him, it remained the best place. That was his second mistake. The original plan was to re-emerge from the forest and cut down the Titan horde from both sides. It was a simple flank, nothing too complicated, and finding himself at the back, Erwin relaxed into his saddle.

In the split second between his relaxation into the saddle and the hooves of his horse hitting the ground, lightning struck. The flash blinded both man and horse, who proceeded to throw Erwin off the saddle and onto the barely-there grass. Pain shot up his spine and rested at the base of his skull, causing another flash of white to disrupt his vision. Groaning as he stood slowly with stars dancing in his line of sight, he thought about running to retrieve his horse. But the utter silence of the forest startled him enough to cause him to forget about the horse altogether. No sounds reached him, not even the sound of falling Titans or battles ensuing just beyond the tree line. The still air and unmistakable sound of silence enveloped him and he looked about, panicked. Breaking off into the forest in a mad dash, Erwin knew sooner or later a Titan would appear and he, a simple Scout, would find himself in the mouth of the hungry fellow. "This can't be happening, this can't be happening..." He repeated, breath ragged. But it was. Fear clutched his legs, and each step pushed at the wall-like block that never moved. Slowly, his pace decreased as tiredness settled into his shins, as well as his coordination. He found himself on the ground again, this time on his front. He could just hear Levi in his ears, chastising him on his clumsiness and inability to "get it together". Everything in him screamed to just give up as he laid there, his eyes slowly closing. It was then that he heard it. A voice. It was soft, but it was voice nonetheless. Opening one eye, he scanned the perimeter and noticed nothing. Opening the other eye provided him with the vision he sought. 

Leaning against a tall cedar, someone in a black velvet cloak spoke softly, gently crossing and recrossing themselves like the church-goers. Erwin laid on the ground for a second more before calmly rising to his feet. Abruptly, the cloaked person turned their head in his direction and met his gaze with deep hazel eyes. Long eyelashes batted twice before their gaze hardened, and Erwin's throat seized up in fear. He didn't know what to say to the person, whether they were friend or foe, or if he had chanced upon a person innocently going about their lives in the forest. Two umber hands slipped up to remove the hood from their face, and Erwin's already-stuck breath caught again, this time from astonishment. Chestnut curls tumbled down to frame the woman's face, revealing a much softer expression, almost as if she were the goddess of eternal maidenhood. "Don't come any closer." Erwin had no plans to approach the dark-skinned foreigner, amazed and fearful of this person's very existence.

"W-what are you doing here?" He hated that his voice quaked as he spoke to the woman, eyes never leaving her face. Why did he sound weak in front of her? Was it because she entirely a different being altogether? Or was it because her pose reminded her of a painting of another eternal maiden looking to the sky? Remembering the name of the painting now seemed foolish, so he attempted to repeat his question, only to have her speak over his own thoughts. 

"What are  _ you  _ doing here?" She echoed, drawing herself up out of her kneeling position and to her full height. She stood a head shorter than he, but made up for the height in regal stature. She stood proudly, shoulders tossed back, eyes focused solely on him and unwavering, but calm. His mouth dried up, and he forgot her question. The Eternal Maiden put her hands on her hips as she fully faced him, a wholly unmaiden-ly position to assume. "Answer me, Erwin of the Smith family. What are you doing in the Garden of my people." Gaping, Erwin prattled, 

"I... my horse - I was riding my horse - it threw me off - Titans - I..." The more he babbled, the deeper her frown grew. Finally, he managed a full sentence.

"A light blinded my horse and I." Three blinks in succession brought Erwin realise to two conclusions: One, whatever she was going to say next would be the absolute truth. Two, he wasn't meant to see the light or even be in the place where she was. The reason why she was here had nothing to do with Titans or even the Scouts. 

"I am truly sorry." She whispered, ears turning a deep pink. She dipped her head low in a half-bow, but he waved it away.

"No, it's fine, I- wait, you caused that light?" Bewilderment danced across his features but there was no answer from the maiden as she pulled her hood back on. Instead, she put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, exposing her plain indigo dress.

Indigo...the color of royal breeds. His thoughts wandered to the mystery of this woman, touching upon the fact that she was in the middle of  _ nowhere _ , looking to be of royal birth, with no guard, no weapons,  _ nothing. _ They waited for what seemed like an eternity in silence before his horse reappeared from the left side of the forest, stopping and resting at his side. With this final deed done, the woman turned to leave Erwin and disappear into the forest.

"Wait, what's your name?" He shouted after her, and at this, she turned slightly to face him, yet again.

"Alita." She murmured and faced the other way again before taking off in a dead sprint. Another burst of light appeared, and Erwin shielded his eyes. When he looked back, she was long gone.  
  


That evening, as he rolled his sheets back, Erwin looked at the dark, empty sky. No stars. Not even a faint twinkling dared to expose itself as he thought of Alita, the Eternal Maiden. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Erwin, did you even hear what I just said?" 

Between bits of bread and thoughts of the Eternal Maiden, Erwin seemed to be in another world altogether, questions running circles in his mind. Where was the Maiden from? How had she come to Eldia? How had she disappeared? And why did she look so different from the other fair-skinned women he had seen all of his life? 

Fear, worry, and confusion marred his facial usually calm features, a note Levi, Hange, and even Commander Pyxis made to themselves. "Did... something happen with a Titan?" Hange questioned, leaning into Levi, and searching Erwin's face.

"I... uh..." Levi knitted his brows at the lack of articulation from Erwin. There was an unusual ease about his friend, one who kept little to no secrets from him. 

"He's tired, Hange." Levi chastised. "That's why he's not as talkative. Give the questions a rest." Shocked, Erwin looked up at his friend, who stared back at him with a look that said _We'll talk about this later. _Erwin passed a grateful glance at him anyways, thankful for the defense. He swallowed the rest of his bread, feeling the thick crust scratch his throat, before standing and moving to exit the room. 

"Have a good day." He muttered to the group, and left the table. Levi took the bait and stood as well, pushing his food aside and following him down the hall. They walked in silence, Erwin weighing his next words while Levi wondered what had happened to his usually talkative and open friend. What had happened that made him so closed off? It was a secret, he knew, but why? _Why_ did it have to be a secret? Erwin placed a hand on the door to his room and looked back at Levi, eyes wide and full of fear. 

"Whatever it is, Erwin, you know I won't tell anyone." Erwin opened the door with that thought in mind, and weighed his options again. He could take a gamble and tell his friend, but be deemed crazy, or he could withhold the information and possibly lose the respect of a good friend. Or he could lie and lose a friend's trust completely, thus ruining his credibility. The first option held less risk than the other two, so he opened his mouth to speak as soon as Levi shut the door. 

"While riding through the forest yesterday, my horse and I were blinded by a bright light. He threw me off and I went to run after him, but I lost him, so I ran for cover. I saw her kneeling against a tree, praying-"

"_Her_?" Levi interrupted.

"A woman. She wore a black cloak and an indigo colored dress. It was obvious that she was royalty, but the strangest thing was..." Now, came the hard part. A woman in the forest alone was enough to make someone think twice. But the fact that it was a dark-skinned woman overshadowed all of the previous information.

"Was...?" Levi leaned his head forward, as if doing so would encourage Erwin to reveal the rest of the information. Erwin chose to tell the truth. 

"She was dark-skinned." Eyes wide, Levi stammered about for words.

"It's... it's impossible. There's... a dark-skinned woman? But I thought..." 

"I don't know how it's possible--" Erwin echoed.

"Are you sure you saw this? A concussion would explain the reason for the vision." Levi interjected. 

"I'm sure I saw her. She called my horse back, and he came instantly. Levi, you have to believe me." He begged, placing his hands out in front of him, as if belief was tangible and could be placed in his palms. 

Levi didn't speak, his eyes downcast. "Okay, so if this _did _happen... what do we do about it?" 

"I..." Erwin paused; he hadn't gotten that far. "I don't know. I just chanced upon her... I don't know if this will ever happen again." 

"If it doesn't, we have unanswered questions. But if it does..."

"We can question her." Erwin added; the thought never occurred to him before then. 

"Did she seem hostile?"

"No, in fact, she seemed annoyed. I bothered her while she prayed, I think." Levi thought for a moment, opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then exhaled. 

"There's no way to recreate the occurrence." He observed. He was right, Erwin noted. There was no way to recreate the instance... unless...

The door swung open suddenly, knocking Levi down to the stone floor, and startling Erwin. "Erwin! Levi! Sirs, Commander Pyxis has requested to meet with you!" The boy shouting at them looked between the two, Levi on the floor and Erwin open-mouthed. "Uh... Am I interrupting something?" Silence greeted the boy so he retreated back into the hallway, shutting the door softly. Levi stood shakily, leaning on the bed-frame. Erwin moved to open the door, but Levi stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"Wait. Erwin, we need to come up with a way to find out more about this woman."

"Do you think Pyxis will help? He knows so much."

"We need to do this on our own first." Erwin looked at Levi with curiosity, questioning his intentions. "If we find out more from this woman and avoid bringing the others into it, we might be more successful. Especially if we can avoid Hange." Erwin shuddered at the thought of the woman getting her hands on the Eternal Maiden. 

"On our own, first." Erwin agreed and they both left the room. As they traveled down the hallways, Erwin thought some more. _On my_ _own first. _As they turned the corner, Erwin caught a glimpse of an indigo dress rounding the corner in front of them. Instinctively, he quickened his pace to keep up with the fabric, but when the finished rounding the corner, it disappeared completely. _A trick of the mind_, Erwin thought and continued on his path. A twinge of disappointment touched his heart, but he thought of it no more when they arrived at Pyxis' door.

As it opened, Erwin noted Pyxis stood at the window, arms crossed. Without turning to them, he spoke:

"I hear you boys have a secret to share."


	3. Music

Erwin and Levi glanced at each other, fearful. How in the_ world _had Pyxis come to know of their previous conversation?

"Do you have spies on us, Commander?" Pyxis turned around, amusement written all over his face.

"If you discover something and you tell no one, does it mean the discovery never happened?" Erwin cursed under his breath. Someone else had seen the Maiden, too. But that meant he _hadn't_ been dreaming or mistaken, which gave him passing comfort. "Erwin, did you think I wouldn't find out?" Erwin looked at Pyxis, trying to mask his surprise and discomfort, but only succeeding at making Pyxis' smile widen. "You stayed at the back of the flank formation. What did you find out about the advantages of the back of the flank?" Erwin faltered.

"Commander Pyxis... I..." He was tired of being speechless. "I found that I could not be relied on unnecessarily. The new recruits can hold their own without me at their side." Pyxis nodded as he sat in the chair beside the window. 

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're letting these new recruits hold their own. No need to cripple them, not this early. Especially when there are sightings of a strange woman in the forest. We have to handle this quietly... wouldn't want to spook them." Erwin and Levi returned to their frightened state as Pyxis turned his eyes to them again, smiling even wider, if it was possible. 

"Commander Pyxis, we were going to come to you as soon as we had discussed it." Levi interjected quickly. Pyxis' smile dropped and he raised his eyebrows slowly. "We weren't sure you would believe us."

"I would have never known if the lady herself hadn't come to me." Another shock.

"She _visited _you?" 

"She wasn't shy; in fact, it seemed like she had been waiting to meet me for a while." Pyxis mused, twirling a pen around in his hand. "She mentioned you by name, Erwin. And she told me you were a clumsy fellow who interrupted her prayers. She asked me to be more mindful of which grove of trees I sent my men into next time, and I asked her to send my regards and apologies to her father. She left soon after that." Erwin looked down to his boots, embarrassed.

"You're giving us information that you want us to know, Commander. What is the truth about these people? _Where do they come from?" _Levi pressed, but Erwin shook his head.

"You missed something, Levi. Pyxis knows this girl. And her father. The Commander knew which grove he was sending us by. Somehow, he knew the chances of us meeting were high." Erwin turned to Pyxis again, meeting his unwavering gaze. "But one must ask... _why?_" 

"I sent you there so that you, too, would know. Both of you. Lady Alita and her father wanted proof of the men I had bragged so highly about. I suppose they saw the worst of you that day, Erwin. But no matter, they still wish to see you both." Meet them? For what reason? The silence between the three men dragged on, almost to the point of uncertainty. Who would speak first and answer the unanswered question?

"For what reason?" Erwin voiced finally, breaking the silence. 

"I think I'll let them tell you when we get there." Pyxis rose suddenly, making his way to the door. "Get your horses ready and meet me outside of the stables in ten minutes. Don't bring any weapons. Oh, and Erwin?" 

"Sir?" 

"Leave your embarrassment at the door."

* * *

Erwin, Levi, and Pyxis galloped off into the distance, and, Erwin assumed aloud, intended on going past the walls.

"Right?" 

"Wrong." Pyxis shouted over his shoulder. "There's a much quicker way to get there. We're going to Trost." _Trost... _Erwin thought of the outermost district and realized that if anyone wanted to hide something within the walls of Trost, they could. The inside went virtually unchecked because of the Titans outside, and there was little, if any, need to police the people. Pyxis led them through the city with ease, acknowledging those who knew him while focused on getting to where he wanted to be as quickly as possible. Where he wanted to be was a house, Erwin discovered as soon as Pyxis dismounted. The house was small, barely large enough for an entire family to reside within. Pyxis took a set of keys out of his pocket and leafed through them before finding the one he wanted: a bronze key with no distinct markings on it. The door opened easily, but Erwin and Levi waited for some sign from Pyxis to enter. Pyxis poked his head out, frowning at them and waved them inside. 

Inside looked no different from a normal residence, the two noted. There were no fancy markings, no large wardrobes, nothing that would seem out of the ordinary for a home that seemed uninhabited. Pyxis led them to a door that opened up to a patch of greenery outside, silent the entire way. He opened the door and let them venture past him, back outside, but when he closed the back door, they turned to him, confused.

"You led us back outside." Levi observed, but Pyxis shook his head.

"Take a deep breath, gentlemen. Do you smell anything... different?" The smell of pine trees, the crisp air, and something else - something earthy - hit their noses. "Welcome to Thiordan." As soon as Pyxis finished speaking, they were surrounded by many people, all dressed in the same blue cloak and gold shirts. Before Levi could think of an escape, all three were restrained by two people on each arm. 

"State your business, Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman, and Dot Pyxis!" One shouted from behind them, just out of eyeshot. Pyxis chuckled, knowing he had a right to be there, and spoke calmly.

"I am here with Erwin and Levi to meet your Royal Family, at their request." At once, they were let go. 

"Just a formality, sir." Another soldier stated, dusting Pyxis' shoulders off. "We're in the middle of celebrations, if you're okay with meeting them at this time...?"

"What a perfect time to introduce them." The soldiers broke off into their previous formations, but one stayed with the group and talked with Pyxis the entire time. Erwin and Levi took in their surroundings as they followed, amazed by the lack of notable buildings or structures they encountered on their way. Was this just the outskirts of the town or did they all live so far away from each other? There was something unusual about the lack of people they encountered, and Erwin didn't feel safe. But Pyxis spared no explanations or comments to them as they walked. Well, until they reached a large cliff. Levi looked over and his concern faded away. 

"Erwin, look at this." Over the edge of the cliff, an entire city lay sprawled out across a large, perpetual meadow. The city was not nearly as large as Eldia, but it was the size of an outlier district, perhaps. 

"Take the lift down, and I'll have Aaron and His Majesty's guard come to fetch you." 

The lift wasted no time going down the large cliff; their ride only lasting four minutes total. A tan man with braided red hair met them at the bottom, smiling widely. 

"You must be Erwin and Levi. Commander Pyxis, it's always a pleasure to see you." He bowed slightly to all three, and then lifted his head. "I am Comandante Aaron, and I control the Central Garrison. The King will be so pleased to meet you all." Erwin took inventory of the man in front of them, scrutinizing his gold and blue coat with what he assumed was the coat of arms on the front left panel. A large crown covered the coat, so there was no mistaking him for a regular soldier. Erwin met his hazel eyes, and Aaron blinked slowly, bored perhaps. 

They mounted new horses and rode towards a castle in the center of the city swiftly, intent on either not missing the party or throwing them into the fray with no forewarning. At the castle, attendants took their horses from them and led them into a large dining hall from a side entrance. Inside, Erwin noted something that startled both he and Levi at the same time. He hadn't realized he had been missing it for so long, but the thought now brought memories to the forefront of his mind. Tears threatened to push at his eyes, and after wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, he inhaled and remembered an old friend he hadn't been allowed to enjoy the company of in over five years:

Music. 


	4. Chapter 4

The people in the dining hall danced around each other, smiling, laughing, and drinking. Musicians stood at the top of the hall on a balcony, playing their instruments with fervor. Erwin had never seen so much happiness in one room. Envy tugged at his heart, and he looked back at Pyxis. "Why have you kept this from us all this time?" Pyxis said not a word, but smiled at him gently, the answer masked behind his old eyes. 

Levi frowned deeply, seeing too much joy in one room, and turned to Erwin. "Why are they dancing? What do they have to celebrate?" Aaron placed his hands on their shoulders, and looked between them, a sad expression on his face. 

"We just defeated an enemy that had been giving us much trouble. Thiordan takes pride in their warriors, so we celebrate the lives lost as well as the battle won." Erwin realized that Aaron's sad smile wasn't for the occasion. No, it was for them. Aaron knew they had no music, no dancing, and he felt sorry for them. He turned his freckled face to the crowd and disappeared into it, leaving them behind with Commander Pyxis. Pyxis walked up to their sides and looked at both of the men's faces. 

"You must be baffled right now." He stated, but neither of them answered. "I assure you, this was kept a secret for a good reason." As the crowd slowly became aware of their presence, more eyes turned their way for brief glances before refocusing on the festivities. Erwin began to search the crowd for a familiar face, but each one of the people looked different from the last. There were Asian people, African people, even an Arab or two. He had never seen them in person, but his father's books had given him a brief description of each. The fact that he could pick each race out alone astounded him, because he had never truly seen one in his life until then, but there were no fair-skinned people; just the races he knew didn't exist in Eldia. Before he could notice anything else, a man strode up to them, an animal pelt slung over his broad shoulders, and an unfriendly look about him. He was dark-skinned, just like Alita, but had his hair in one long, white braid down the middle of his head. The contrast didn't stop there - his eyes were a bright blue, shocking anyone who dared to meet him face to face. 

"Pyxis." The deep rumble of the man's voice almost overshadowed the loud music. He reached out a hand as he towered over Pyxis by about a foot, making Erwin feel all the more small and insignificant. He could only imagine how Levi felt. "You did not tell me you would be coming today." 

"Your father, your sister, and I spoke earlier. Did they not tell you?" 

"I haven't seen my sisters since I returned from battle. I had hoped to see them here. It's not like Alita or Ankara to keep secrets from me." _Alita? Ankara? _"In any case, introduce me to your companions. You've never brought someone from your side of the world to us."

"Ah, yes. A request of your sister, I'm afraid."

"Ankara?" The man questioned, crossing his arms. Erwin assumed that Ankara had been asking for something similar for a long time. 

"Alita." Pyxis clarified. The man snorted, shaking his head. He stuck out a hand to Erwin first, his grip unrelenting as he pumped twice.

"I apologize for the _lack_ of introduction." He jerked his head towards Pyxis, who seemed to be in another headspace as he watched the crowd. "My name is Björn Earlstad, Crown Prince of Thiordan." He shook Levi's hand next, then motioned toward the crowd. "I'll assume that you've met my younger sister, Crown Princess Alita Earlstad, and have yet to meet my father and my youngest sister, Lady Ankara Earlstad."

"Alita goes by Lady now, too, last I heard?" Pyxis questioned Björn. 

"She says 'Lady' so she can fit in with the commoners when she goes about, but her title is _still_ Crown Princess." He returned his attention to Erwin and Levi. "And you two are...?"

"Erwin Smith."

"Levi Ackerman."

"Ah, no titles." The stab at their egos did not go unnoticed. "Well, enjoy yourselves while the mead flows and the bread is plentiful. I'm sure my sisters will appear shortly to make more introductions." With that, he too disappeared into the crowd, leaving them alone again. They took the invitation and slowly merged into the crowd, taking overflowing cups of mead and sipping at it, the honey taste overwhelming their senses. Erwin sat down on the outskirts of the dancing, separated from Levi and Pyxis. He wondered if he would forget Alita's face and mistake her altogether for her younger sister. Or perhaps he would not get to see her at all, and the trip would be wasted.

"You sip at that mead like you have nothing to forget." A female voice behind him teased, and he frowned, not looking at her. 

"I have many things to forget." _Namely, the woman who brought me here, _he thought as he placed the cup to his lips.

"Then, drink up!" The cup in his hand slowly tipped upward as a face and a hand appeared from around his right shoulder. As he sipped, he caught the glimpse of hazel eyes and long curls. Swallowing what he could before exclaiming, the mead caught in his windpipe, and he bent over, coughing up the rest. An amused Alita appeared in his line of sight, her clothes drastically different. Instead of a full indigo gown, she wore a long, blue dress with angel sleeves and gold slippers. The only things that reaffirmed her royalty were her face and the small, but noticeable gold leaf circlet placed neatly on her head. 

"You should be more careful if you can't hold your mead, Erwin Smith."


	5. Chapter 5

Erwin, shocked but slightly amused at the sight of Alita, burst into a fit of laughter. When his laughter subsided, he wiped his wet eyes and looked at the princess with a smile.

"I can hold my liquor; thank you, Princess." He stood, looking down at her sweetly. 

"Lady." She corrected him and he nodded.

"M'lady." Taking her hand in his empty one, he pressed the back of her hand to his lips and left a gentle kiss there. Alita eyed him curiously, but Erwin imagined that she would be blushing if she were fairer-skinned. 

"Have you met my father yet? I saw you interact with my brother. He frightened the piss out of you, I think." Erwin chuckled and looked at Björn, who was engaged in conversation with a woman, obviously attempting his hand at flirting with her. 

"Where does he get his blue eyes and white hair from? Surely you father isn't--"

"Another time." Alita interrupted, and took his hand. "Dance with me!" She pulled him to where the others were dancing about as the musicians began another song, one he assumed she knew quite well. She spun to the sound of the drums, her curls flying around her head like a veil, while he awkwardly two-stepped side to side, mead sloshing about in his cup. The others about him danced in circles around different partners, mimicking the same dance that Alita performed with him alone. Comandante Aaron suddenly appeared and danced with Alita, taking her hand and switching places with her before spinning her around. Erwin backed out of the crowd again, jealous that Aaron knew what he was doing, and he could do nothing. He felt even more embarrassed when he saw Levi had picked up the dance quite easily, letting another woman twirl about him before switching partners. But Aaron and Alita twirled about each other, all smiles, never switching partners. 

"I told you to leave your embarrassment at the door." Pyxis chastised from beside him. It was as if he had appeared out of nowhere, but then again, Pyxis had a habit of getting into things and returning right on time for people to avoid noticing that he had even been missing. "Levi seems to have picked up the dance with ease." Erwin looked over again and witnessed him dancing hand in hand with a little girl, who bounced on her feet excitedly and smiled at the semi-stoic man. He refocused his attention to Aaron and Alita, and time seemed to continue in slow-motion as his jealousy fed the moment. The two of them bounced about, smiling, twirling, and utterly happy, but Aaron caught his stare from across the room, and a sly grin twitched at his lips before he faced Alita again, continuing the dance. Erwin placed his mead cup on the table and walked away from the revelry, certain of two things: one, Aaron knew everything about him, and two, he needed some air. 

Erwin soon found himself lost, but still aware of where the party was. A large window that faced open air gave him some respite as the jealousy slowly faded into nothingness and the song within the hall ended. Footsteps alerted him to someone else's presence, and without looking, he was almost sure it was Alita. 

"You left." 

"You sort of had me out there looking like a fool, so..."

"Sorry, I thought you would have fun." Silence enveloped them like a glove and she stood next to him, bumping him with her hip playfully. "Hey, I won't do that again. Come back and drink with us, Aaron and Björn are about to make one of their famous toasts.” Erwin reluctantly followed Alita, who tucked her arm underneath his and smiled brightly. 

Inside, the toast had already begun, Björn laughing heartily as Aaron made some remark about the battle they had just won. Erwin looked to Alita, who gently smiled back at him. Then he looked to Aaron, who saw the two arm in arm. Something about that bothered him, Erwin knew. In that moment, he straightened up and cleared his throat, beginning the end of the toast. They watched Aaron finish and Björn say his toast, then all of them drank to the occasion together. Björn approached the two of them, then, motioning for the door. 

"Bring your friends, Erwin Smith. My father is ready to speak with you." 

* * *

Alita and Björn walked ahead of them, conversing amongst themselves. 

Erwin turned to Levi. "I hope this isn't a waste of our time." Pyxis spared them a glance, but he had a certain look in his eye that said it wouldn't be. They traveled down multiple hallways, each becoming less ornate than the one before, until they arrived at a plain, wooden door. Björn knocked lightly on the door twice, listening for something. A mumbled echoed from inside the chamber, which Björn took as permission to enter. 

“Father. Pyxis, Erwin Smith, and Levi Ackerman are here to talk to you.” As the door opened, Erwin looked upon the great King of Thiordan. Bent over a stack of old papers, the king appeared to be younger than Pyxis, perhaps only 20 years older than Björn himself, but almost identical to him. The king, with a white braid dangling over his shoulder, looked up briefly and smiled before returning to his papers on the long desk that separated them from his side of the room.

“Ah, welcome back, Pyxis. Levi Erwin, I hope Thiordan has proven to be kind to you.” 

“Certainly.” Erwin affirmed. The king straightened up and looked Erwin in the eyes. His left eye shone a bright green, but his right eye was completely white. It took Erwin all he had not to exclaim out of shock when the king squinted and the milky eye shone a little. 

“You three are very important to us, to all of Thiordan. I’m going to request something of you now.” Erwin and Levi glanced at each other. “You see, my forces are incredibly strong with Björn at the helm of the army. We face attacks from outsiders regularly, so having a son who can lead was a miracle. But we’ve encountered something unique - something we’ve never seen before.” The king threw a sketch across the table between them and it slid to a stop at the edge. Levi picked up the sketch for closer examination and exhaled deeply before handing it to Erwin. Erwin looked at it, wide eyed, and pressed his lips together. In his hands rested the image of a tall, lanky person with wide eyes and exposed teeth.

A Titan.


	6. Chapter 6

Erwin placed the sketch back on the table shakily. He fucking hated Titans, and a sketch of one was just too much to handle.

“We want to know more about them.” The king spoke. “We’ve only encountered them once, but never engaged fully, because my men thought it was it’s own race of people, and they seemed fairly uninterested in us. Our people raced on, but found our enemies entirely slaughtered. Pyxis here tells me you call it a ‘titan’.” 

Levi nodded and muttered sarcastically,  “You said they were uninterested in you? Well, then you all must be so lucky.” 

Björn chimed in:  “Even in our attempts to get their attention, they would not pay us any mind at all. One of our fighters attempted to engage, but it seemed like they barely noticed us. So, I led my men away. That’s when we chanced upon the enemies camp.” Aaron shuddered, most likely thinking of the carnage they witnessed, which Erwin and Levi would have no doubt imagining with him. The king hummed softly, thinking. 

"We would like to employ your help." Alita finally spoke. "We don't want something so dangerous, as Pyxis put it, roaming free and terrorizing the masses." Erwin and Levi looked at Pyxis, who simply nodded. Yes, this is what he had planned all along. 

"What about _our _people?" Levi scoffed. "Should we abandon them and help an entire group who does not even _exist_to the Titans? You heard them, they pass right through, unseen." Levi turned to the king, pointing a finger. "And how did you manage _that_, anyways? Titans devastate your enemy, but pass over you like a cloud? Shouldn't you be _thanking _the Titans? Not killing them_?_" Erwin placed a hand on Levi's shoulder, attempting to calm him. 

"Alita." Her father paused for a moment, weighing his words. Then he said, "Show them." 

Alita walked to the balcony, Levi, Erwin, and Pyxis following closely. The spacious balcony overlooked the entire city, which both pleased and broke Erwin's heart. These people would never know the terror of a Titan invasion, would never experience the loss of a loved one at their hands... Alita, now in the sun, took a deep breath and exhaled sharply before reaching her fingers out to each side. "Cover your eyes." Björn warned from the inside, and they shielded their eyes with their hands. She spoke one word as she leaned her head back, and an explosion of light disrupted any thoughts Erwin had in the moment. It was a lot like the flash of light he had seen before, just much closer. 

"Look up when you're ready." Björn yelled from inside again. Hovering an inch above their heads, Alita had transformed into a being of pure, blue light. She looked the same, with long hair and the body shape of a woman, but all of her was colored in a bright blue light. Rays of light danced around her head, as if she were a godly figure from one of those stained glass windows. Erwin exhaled slowly, aroused and amazed all at the same time. 

"Every one of the royal family is given this form, as well as many of our citizens." Alita spoke, her voice echoing gently. "But a few of our citizens have rejected this form, thinking it's almost equivalent to being a god." She lowered herself to the ground and walked up to Erwin. "This is what you almost witnessed that day we met." She touched his arm, and he found it cold, almost too cold to bear. "I do believe you and Levi will be of great help to us, helping us discover how the Titans made it here, and how we are to proceed in keeping the realm safe." Erwin stumbled over his words as he looked into her completely blue eyes. 

"I do... I, yes... We will help you." She smiled gently, and touched Levi's arm next. 

"You do right to ask us why we want you to help us. Even in our strongest form, there is very little we can do except attack without knowledge, and understanding them may help us become stronger. Then when we rid ourselves of them here, we can go and help you in your realm." Erwin looked at Levi, who looked back at Alita. 

"Show us how you fight in this form." Alita looked shocked, but understood the purpose of this question immediately. "Aaron!"

* * *

On the roof, Aaron and Alita stood across from each other, both shining brightly. 

"Could they kill each other in this form?" Erwin leaned over to ask Björn, who shushed him. Focusing his attention back on the two, they began hand-to-hand combat, each moment of contact sounding like metal crashing against metal. The two were an equal match, no doubt. But there was something odd. It seemed they were holding back from doing any real damage to each other, which is what Levi wanted to see. 

"Wait; wait!" Levi shouted, waving his arms. "This is child's play." Sighing, he took a step forward. "I want you to try to get one scratch on me." 

"One scratch?" Aaron laughed, his voice echoing as if he were in a steel box. 

"Just one." Alita looked to Erwin, who shrugged. Who was he to tell her that Levi was undoubtedly the best and most nimble Scout he had ever met? Alita shrugged in response and waited for Levi to advance, to take the offensive. 

"You're on the offensive, Alita." He reminded her and with that, she swept a leg out to unbalance him. "Weak move." Levi taunted, and she followed up with an attempted kick to the chin, a side hook, and an uppercut. None of the blows landed. "Is that everything you have?" She stood still, uncertain of what to do next, and looked at him warily. "It's just one scratch; how hard can it be?" Near misses continued to rain down on Levi, but he dodged them all, keeping his feet quick and his eyes quicker. "You're telling me a near-goddess can't scratch a mere mortal? Alita, is this a joke?" Again, again, and again she tried to touch him, but alas, there was nothing to be done. He was quicker than her by one and a half steps. Alita, spent, paused for a moment to catch her breath.

_ *slap* _

"Stand straight!" Levi, hand raised to eye level, spat at her. The backhand knocked the air out of Alita, and she careened backwards with the second front-hand slap. Alita heard the slaps before she felt them, the stinging pain dulling her offensive. She could focus on nothing but the sheer amount of pain he inflicted with a few slaps and finally, she held her hands up, blocking any further assault. But before she could beg mercy, he kicked her in her stomach, laying her flat on her back. "You don't get to lay down and take this! I'm not stopping until you show me what you're capable of!" Something within her snapped, and Erwin witnessed the moment with fear and uncertainty. 

Alita jumped to her feet, her eyes fierce and angry. Pulling her hands apart as if she held a bow in them, she stood, shoulders squared. With no hesitation, a blue and white bow appeared between her hands and she squinted just a little. Before Erwin could stop her, she shot the arrow from the bow, and it grazed Levi's arm before flying off into the distance. Shaken, Levi and Erwin stood awkwardly while they tried to gather their thoughts. Then Levi chuckled, dusting himself off and eyeing the bleeding cut on his upper arm. "So, you can materialize weapons out of pure air, huh?" The bow vanished as quickly as it had appeared and Alita waited a moment before slowly returning to her natural form. Aaron, who had changed a while back, ran to her to examine her face. Redness touched her cheeks where she had been slapped, but otherwise, she seemed fine. 

"What in the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Aaron shouted over his shoulder, eyes on Alita but anger directed at Levi. 

"It's the quickest way to figure out what you can do. I don't want to be in a life or death situation and you all cannot perform to the level we require of you." 

"So what's next, then? Did we pass your little test?" 

"It's not over yet, Princess. We have yet to see if that ability of yours can carry any weight against a Titan." Suddenly, Pyxis appeared from below, lifting the hatch door. 

"Are you done, yet? We still have one last thing to discuss."

"And that would be...?" Aaron interjected. 

"When you two will be making your way to Eldia for Scout training." 


	7. Chapter 7

_"Titan on your left!" _ Erwin shouted to Alita, who nodded once and aimed down at the Abnormal, who chased after Erwin hastily. 

"Back of the neck... back of the neck..." Alita loosed the arrow and let if fly into the back of the Titan's neck. It took a minute, but the arrow exploded, shooting chucks of Titan-matter onto those nearby. For the third time that day, Levi cleaned his face, scowling. 

"Disgusting..." 

Björn, who sat on the branch beneath him, cheered loudly. "That's the way, _systir_!" Levi rolled his eyes and looked down at Erwin, who gave Alita a thumbs-up. Lately, Erwin had been spending an inordinate amount of time with Alita, whether he was training with her or sitting with her during dinner. Levi narrowed his gaze at the woman who had obviously cast a spell on his usually stoic friend. Erwin laughed more, smiled more; he even caught Erwin whistling the day before. Levi knew it was making him soft, making him weak, but said nothing to Erwin. Yet.

During training they discovered that not only were the arrows incredibly similar to normal arrows, but that they could explode. Hange, when it was brought to her attention that there were people who could turn into beings of light and back into people of color, almost shit herself when she saw Björn and Alita. The first night they arrived, Hange had taken the whole night to question and examine them. "You're so beautiful! And your eyes... and your _hair! _And your skin! And your--" Levi shut the door once he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop the fawning. Then _everyone_ in the Scouts knew about the two newcomers who had colored eyes and dark skin, and despite "damage control" (that's what Pyxis called it, anyways), the questions and the adoration would not stop. Levi seemed to be the only one who saw them for what they were.

They weren't gods. They weren't symbols of hope or change in the fight against the Titans.

They were just fucking lucky. 

A rush of air hit his back and he felt Björn stand beside him. 

"I can feel your frustration, brother." _Brother..._ Bjorn had recently taken to calling everyone "brother" or "sister" as a sign of goodwill, but it irked Levi to no end. _You're not my brother. I have no brothers. _Gritting his teeth together, he listened to the sounds of Erwin giving feedback to Alita and the others, ignoring the unspoken question. Björn took a breath, but Levi cut him off with a hand. 

"I don't want to talk about anything. Can we just finish up here so we can go back? _Brother?_" Björn nodded, barely missing a beat. Alita turned to look at them in that second, and, eyes on Levi, nodded too as if she had heard him. They climbed down the tree, and met Erwin on the ground. 

"We should head back. It's getting late." Levi suggested, eyes focused on Erwin. 

"Sure..." Erwin nodded and they went to gather the horses while Levi stormed off. 

Back at the base, Erwin pulled Levi aside while the others dispersed to do their own thing. 

"I have a feeling there's something you're not sharing with me. Is everything okay?"

"_Is everything okay?_" Levi didn't want to blow up at Erwin, but he couldn't help his harsh tone. "Erwin, look. I didn't want to say anything, but you should hear it from me first. I know you have feelings for Alita; you waddle behind her like some lovesick puppy! You look foolish." Erwin winced, obviously hurt.

"Levi, I don't have feelings fo--"

"Maybe you don't see it, but _I do_, and Erwin, I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with is the fact that she's making you soft!" Levi made his point by jabbing a finger into his chest. "She's making you look like a child, Erwin." Erwin frowned at the comment and straightened up. Levi realized he had tread a little too far into the realm of insults, and watched Erwin slowly push his finger off of him.

"Thank you for bringing this to light, Levi. I appreciate your candor." With that, he strode past him without a word.

* * *

Alita sat at her desk, penning a letter to her father and sister. She thought of Ankara who, at just seven, would be missing her playmate and confidante as she penned soothing words and gentle reassurances, hoping the letter would only strengthen the little girl. In truth, she found the place around her to be mildly welcoming. There weren't feasts, there was no dancing, there was little joy to derive from Eldia. Erwin was doing his best to make her feel welcome and safe, but it didn't stop the feeling of displacement. She was homesick, of course, and even Björn's presence did little to ease the sorrow. 

"I understand being homesick." Erwin had muttered to her when she mentioned it in passing. "But you're always welcome to leave if you wish." He looked at her curiously, and she suspected he only said that to ease her unease, and he didn't really want her to go home. Not yet, at least.

"No, I have to stay and continue to learn in order to protect the realm. I care about my people too much." 

"And for that, they are lucky to have you." Alita had felt the heat rush to her cheeks at his compliment, but quickly composed herself. It wasn't until she got back to her room that she realized she had been smiling the entire time. A quick knock on the door brought her back to reality and she stood quickly, fully expecting Björn to be behind the door with his own letter, as he had wanted to do the same. But when she opened it, she came face to face with Levi. 

His face warned her not to greet him aloud, so she let him in without a word. 

"You shouldn't stay here for much longer." He began when she shut the door. "Your brother should also go."

"Wait, are we in danger?" She questioned, wringing her hands at the thought. She would need to get Björn to safety first, then warn her father--

"No." She exhaled, relaxing her tense body. "But you should still leave." Alita narrowed her eyes at the back of Levi's head. 

"You're saying we're in no danger... but we should leave? Are you suggesting we abandon the hope of getting rid of them in our own realm--" Levi spun to face her, finger in her face.

"You're not helping us. On top of that, you're taking time and resources away from what Erwin and I _ought _to be doing, which is fighting the Titans on our own! You are more than capable to take them out now, so _go home_." 

Alita frowned at his suggestion, thinking about all of the looks he had given her over the weeks, the criticism, the anger, the unspoken rage. Before she could stop herself, she slapped Levi in face, only realizing what she had done when the sound of the slap stopped echoing. Levi looked at her and blinked once, surprised. 

"I'm so sorry, I--" 

"Don't be sorry." Levi rubbed his cheek with fascination and hummed his approval, nodding. "Again, you've proven you have a backbone." 

"Truly, accept my apologies, Levi. I never meant--" The door slammed open, a red faced Erwin and a curious Björn peering over his shoulder. Björn took in Levi's red cheek, and Alita's teary eyes, realized what his sister had done, and laughed uncontrollably. Erwin, however, was not so amused. 

"Levi..." Björn choked out, doubling over, while Erwin stared at him, furious. "...we could hear it from next door..." Björn's laughter did nothing to ease the tension between the two men. Levi met Erwin's eyes and said nothing as he brushed past him rudely. Erwin grabbed his arm before he stormed off and the two men stared each other down. 

"It had to be said." Levi finally quipped before yanking his arm free and storming off again. Erwin quickly turned his attention to Alita, who stood there, gripping the hand she slapped him with in the other. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he attempted to peer into her green eyes by stooping down low enough for her to see his own face.

"Alita, did he say anything that hurt you?" With this, Björn appeared at her side, too, gripping an elbow. Björn looked at Erwin when she stayed silent, and nodded.

"I've got this." He muttered and Erwin took his hands off, only to have Björn place his own arm around her shoulders. Erwin stood aside as he spoke to his little sister in their native tongue. They spoke to each other for a few minutes before Björn took her hand and placed it in his large palm. He looked up at Erwin again and pressed his lips together before speaking.

"She says she should go home to help our people. She wants me to stay to learn more and then return." Erwin inhaled sharply, trying to think of a solution where Alita could stay instead. But saying it aloud would be selfish and it would sound selfish, no doubt.

Because it was selfish. 

Erwin thought and thought. Until... "Why would you not go and lead the armies in an attack? Aren't you the Commander of the army with Commandante Aaron?" Alita looked up at Erwin then, realizing he was attempting to foil her plan, whatever it was. He was happy to do it; happy to be selfish. 

"Correct. I should go, shouldn't I?" Björn looked down at Alita, who shook her head quickly. 

"No, I should go. You would be so helpful to the Scouts." 

"No, father will need me soon anyways." Björn leaned forward to place a kiss to her forehead, eyes on Erwin. "You'll be safe here, I promise." When he finished speaking, he looked down at her again and hugged her tightly. Erwin took this as a sign to leave, and with a smile, left the two in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you're reading this, first: thank you so much. I'm trying my best to write often, but work/home/self-care can take up a lot of my time. I really hope you're enjoying the story thus far and would be psyched if you left a comment about anything I can improve, anything you liked, or anything you want to see in the fanfic.  
You guys make my day always!
> 
> -Ellie


	8. Chapter 8

At dawn, Alita watched as Björn dismounted from his horse, approaching her one last time. 

"_Systir._" He pressed his lips to her forehead, closing his eyes tightly, and pulled her into an embrace. "Stay safe." He 

Björn then clasped arms with Erwin, and pulled him close. "Keep my sister safe. _And treat her kindly_." Björn pulled away, a knowing look in his eyes. He then clasped arms with Pyxis and thanked him before clasping arms with Levi, who stared at him blankly. Björn offered no words of thanks or kindness to him, instead opting for a sharp nod, and finally, after mounting his horse, he placed his fingers to his forehead, and brought his hand back down toward Alita, palm up, a gesture Erwin determined to be loving. Then he rode off with a group of Scouts, without so much as a glance backwards. Alita stood there until he disappeared completely, tears running down her face. Erwin stood next to her as she wiped at her eyes, and put a hand on her shoulder, saying nothing. Alita turned to look at him and smiled sadly before patting his hand and walking away.

Erwin watched her leave, unsure of what to say to make her feel better in the moment. He knew she was homesick and that she felt completely out of place. He couldn't help but feel like he had put her in this position of utter loneliness because of his selfish desire for her to stay with them. But what was he supposed to do, let her go and possibly never see her again? He couldn't let that happen. Not when he was this happy. Then it hit him. He chastised himself for being so foolish, so unaware. His selfishness was not truly motivated by any desire for her kind to help them defeat the Titans. It was merely a cover, Erwin noted. He had feelings for her, just like Levi said. But those feelings would have to be checked. He couldn't let them get in the way of the true mission, not when he was so close-

"You got your wish." Pyxis observed, and Erwin concluded he had been waiting for a moment alone with him since they arrived back in Eldia. 

"But at what price?" Erwin mumbled, and looked at the old man. Pyxis raised a brow at him, a twinge of smile pushing at his lips. Pyxis' true modus operandi had yet to be revealed, but Erwin chose not to ask the man what he had up his sleeve this time. 

* * *

That night at dinner, he found his comrades gathered together at a table, eating solemnly. Levi sat across from him, not making eye contact or speaking to him, just eating and drinking in silence. The entire table knew that Levi and Erwin were not on good terms at the moment, but no one brought it up. They also knew that it had to do with the only person missing from the table, which caused some to speculate about a love triangle. But this was not so, Hange surmised. It was worse than a lover's competition. The tension drew roots from ego, anger, and an unspoken choice that needed to be made. After a lengthy silence, Erwin rose from his seat and left the table, saying not a word. 

He found himself outside of Alita's door once more, and pressed his ear to it, trying to see if she was awake or not. He sensed some small movement behind the door just as it swung open and Alita looked down at him, eyes red and swollen from crying.

"You breathe heavy." She answered his question before he had spoken it. She pulled the door open a little wider and let him in. Her hair, normally down, was pushed back into a ponytail, exposing her face even more. He stood in front of her awkwardly while she fiddled with the hem of her white shirt and finally, he found the words he wanted to say. 

"I'm sorry if being here has caused you any pain." She looked up suddenly, frowning. "I know this wasn't what you imagined when you agreed to come to Eldia--" Alita held her hand up to stop his speech. 

"Erwin. I'm not sure if you mistake my homesickness for the desire to not be here. I enjoy being here. I love to learn." She interrupted. "_And _I made a promise I will keep. Not having my brother here is simply an extension of that promise." Erwin could say nothing to refute those facts, but it did not ease his emotions one bit.

"Will you promise me one thing?" Erwin questioned. "Will you let me know if you ever need to leave us? Will you let us see you off before you disappear?" Erwin didn't add the word "forever" because it seemed too heavy for him to think about realistically.

"I will promise you that." 

* * *

The following weeks passed without incident; Alita retreating to her room more often to study and Erwin watching over her carefully. Levi and Erwin had made up - conditionally - after Björn had departed, but mending their friendship was the last thing he thought about daily. His waking thoughts were of Alita, and his final thoughts before resting were of her as well. It seemed he couldn't shake the need to seek her out, to be by her side, to inquire about her.

Pyxis, in his infinite wisdom, saw the boy become terribly worried whenever someone mentioned her by name, and then visibly relax when it was revealed that she had only been seen in the library with another set of books, eyes glued to the pages. Pyxis also noticed the woman becoming frail and averse to being around others ever since her brother departed. Her normally lustrous chestnut locks were duller, and her glowing skin had turned a shade paler. The sparkle in her eyes had all but vanished, and her figure appeared to shrink before his very eyes. Seeing this made him upset, for his old friend would not be pleased to see his incredible daughter wither away to nothingness. So, he came up with a plan.

"Erwin!" The door flew open, and a messenger stood before him, panicked. 

"Yes?" Erwin stood from his position at his desk, papers falling to the floor. 

"Commander Pyxis needs to see you right away!" 

In another hallway, a woman knocked twice on Alita's door before opening it slowly. She sat on her bed, hair a curtain around her face as she read from a large volume. "M'lady?" Alita looked up slowly, eyes sore. 

"Yes?" She sounded hoarse.

"Commander Pyxis has requested your presence." 

From opposite hallways, the two walked briskly to the Commander's chambers. When they saw each other from across the hallway, they paused. "Pyxis called me." They both said at the same time.

"Jinx." Erwin teased, but Alita said nothing in return. The door opened and Pyxis stood in the doorway. 

"Well, come in. I've been waiting long enough." The two walked into the chambers and Pyxis closed the door. "I have a special mission for you two." Pyxis took a book from his shelf and gave it to Alita. "Your brother requested I send this when I found it. Your father lent it to me long ago, I just never managed to get it back to him." The two looked at each other, then back at Pyxis. 

"A book, Commander?" Erwin placed a hand on the book, squinting his eyes. 

"Yes. This is not an ordinary book. Right, Alita?" Alita moved Erwin's hand from the book and inhaled deeply. The inscription on the book was not unfamiliar to her, the gold runes dancing in the sunlight.

"These are the Great Kings' notes on your people. But what did he give them to you for?"

"The history of my people has been wiped from our memories. But _your_ kings knew us. They knew everything." Alita nodded solemnly and pressed the book to her chest. "You must take it back now. There is too much danger here to keep it in my possession. Ride out at dawn. Tell no one where you are going." Pyxis placed his hands on Alita's shoulders. "And give my best to your father, brother, and sister. Now, I would like to speak to Erwin alone." Alita took the book and left, shutting the door behind her. 

Erwin looked at Pyxis with no questions. He knew what the man was going to say. 

"If you're going to pursue her, now is the time." Erwin blinked, saying nothing. "Can you explain to me why you haven't done a damn thing about this? You two would make a wonderful pair." 

"I have to put feelings aside, Pyxis. They make me weak." Pyxis snorted. 

"And who told you _that__? _Levi?" He placed a warm hand on Erwin's shoulder. "Love is not something that makes you weak, Erwin. If you were to, say, express that you felt something for her, I'm sure you would make her feel less alone." The realization knocked the wind out of Erwin's lungs. How could he have been so blind? "Spend two days in Thiordan. I expect to hear back from you as soon as you return." Erwin took Pyxis' hand and shook it firmly, heart beating wildly. 

"Thank you, Commander."

"Oh, don't thank me just yet." 


	9. Chapter 9

Erwin rapped on Alita's door lightly, his heart tap dancing an uneven beat in his chest. It took a moment, but the door opened slowly soon after. Alita stood in her nightgown, wiping her eyes. "Is it time?" She yawned and he nodded, speechless. She ran her fingers through her hair and waved him in. "Give me a minute and I'll get dressed." She walked slowly to her dresser and tossed some items of clothing onto her bed before pulling at the sleeves of her gown. Erwin immediately turned around to face the wall as the gown fell to the floor, ashamed and also somewhat curious. 

"Um, maybe I should wait outside-" 

"What? You've never seen a naked woman before?" She teased sleepily over her shoulder. She rummaged around in her clothes for another minute before shutting the drawer. Erwin caught a glimpse of her in the polished silver shield of Wall Rose that was pinned to the wall, and instantly, his mouth dried up. His cheeks burst into flames and he immediately looked away, cursing the decorator of the room for putting such a silly item on the wall at all. It was a moment before she mumbled, "Ready." Erwin turned around, cheeks still heated, but thankful the cape covered everything else. She must have been very tired, Erwin noted, because she made no mention of his red cheeks. 

"Let's go home." 

* * *

The ride back to Trost seemed even shorter than before, but Alita didn't mind that at all. She knew seeing her family would be worth it, worth the weeks of waiting and studying, worth keeping watch with the Scouts, worth enduring the looks Levi would give her when she was nearby. When they arrived at the door to the house, it immediately opened, and a guard stepped in the doorway. After dismounting her horse and climbing the stairs, once the man saw Alita's face under her hood, he let her in quickly. Erwin was let in as well, and he followed Alita to the back door. Alita flung the door open and picked up her pace, running almost to the edge of the cliff, her hood flying off her head and her hair billowing behind her. It took all Erwin had to keep up with her in the silence. Once she reached the edge - which was far away from Erwin, because he'd lost his breath - she screamed down, "_ I'm home!" _ Erwin could imagine Aaron looking up from his position on the ground and smiling up at her, thinking she had returned on her own. But, alas - " _ I brought Erwin Smith with me! We have to see my father!" _A smile tugged at Erwin's lips. Aaron would be so disappointed. 

The lift waited for him to catch up and Alita waved him in, rushing him. He shut the door behind him and looked down, meeting Aaron's eyes. The man squinted at him, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. Once the lift stopped, Alita bounded over the edge and wrapped Aaron in a tight hug. When she pulled away, she began having an animated conversation with him, asking how her brother and father were, and what her little sister had gotten into lately. To Erwin, it seemed that Aaron was a good friend of hers, one who knew and accepted her, despite serving her. The conversation quickly turned to the things she learned and the people she met in Eldia, and how much she enjoyed the company of Erwin. At this, Aaron looked back at Erwin, who looked straight ahead at him. Aaron scowled at him and turned back to face Alita while they continued their trek to the castle. Once they reached the castle, instead of going through the side doors, they were presented through the main doors, in an opulent marble hallway. A set of marble stairs lined each side, where they connected at the top with a banister overlooking the area below. Sunlight spilled through the tall windows and lit up the large portrait of the royal family: in the middle, seated on a gilded throne, sat Alita's father. At his right hand, stood Björn and to his left, Alita. Beside her, holding her hand, was a little girl that was almost the spitting image of her, and this he assumed to be Ankara. Erwin stood in front of the massive painting, aware of the portrait's eight eyes following his as he took a step to the right. Alita seemed older in the painting, however. Her face seemed stern and unforgiving, almost as if the person who painted it wronged her and she could not bear to look at him. This contrasted the Alita who giddily took two steps at a time just to run and meet her little sister halfway at the top of the stairs. The screaming little girl almost came out of nowhere, her mouth wide open as she crashed into Alita's arms. 

" 'Lita!" Ankara cried out, hugging her fiercely around her neck. 

"Ankara, how I've missed you..." She breathed and Ankara pulled back to look at her clothes.

"Why are you wearing poor people clothes, 'Lita?" Aaron and Alita laughed at the innocent question, clutching their sides. Ankara obviously didn't understand why they laughed, and turned her attention elsewhere, which meant Erwin. "Who's that?" She pointed at Erwin over the balcony, standing on her tiptoes while her little finger dangled dangerously over his head.

"That's Erwin Smith, a friend of mine." Alita answered once she had recovered.

"Where is he from?"

"He's from a land you have not seen yet." The deep voice came from the same direction Ankara had appeared from. Björn strode over to Alita with open arms. "I see you have returned in full health." While Björn hugged her, he glanced down at Erwin, nodding. "Father is away today. He went hunting with the Goði. Come, eat with us." Björn turned to Erwin. "You too, _ bróðir _." 

Erwin was led into a room with one large table and about twelve seats surrounding it, and a servant boy pulled out a seat for him across from an empty place. 

"Crown Princess Alita will be down shortly, she wanted to change out of her clothing." Erwin's cheeks reheated at the thought of her naked. Before he could stop himself, he wondered if he would ever be able to see her that way again, if he would ever be able to touch- 

"Ahem." A small voice beside him cleared their throat and he looked over to see Ankara, eyebrows raised. She waved him over and whispered, "I have a skeecret." 

"I love secrets..." Erwin whispered back, leaning down to hear the gossip. 

"Did you know my sister will be queen one day?" Her warm breath tickled his ear and he chuckled. 

"Of course she will." She waved him back over for another "skeecret" and he leaned down again. 

"Did you know I won't be there to see it?" Erwin's head snapped up and he looked into the girl's knowing eyes. His palms grew sweaty as she reached over to touch his hand. Her little fingers touched the back of his hand and a jolt ran through him, almost as if he had been electrocuted. Images flashed before his eyes: a crown, a red cloak, and three carts, all in rapid succession, repeating themselves over and over until they ran together into a blank white vision. The white was never ending, until slowly, a dark brown hand slowly descended into his line of sight. A glowing blue ring rested on it's ring finger, and a white substance dripped down it's arm as it continued to descend. A thousand voices spoke at once, some softly, others yelling: 

_ "Kiss the ring." _

They repeated themselves until Erwin pressed his lips to the ring, which felt warm and pulsated like a _ living thing _. The hand did not retreat when he pulled away, instead, waiting for a moment before reaching forward to touch his head. Erwin yelled aloud, afraid of what it might do, but when it touched his head... everything disappeared. His vision returned and he found himself staring at the ceiling, panting as a concerned Alita hovered over him. 

"Erwin! Erwin, are you alright? Erwin, answer me!" She sounded so far away, almost like he was in a bubble, but soon his hearing returned to normal and he slowly raised his head. "Erwin!" Alita raised him slowly. "Ankara told us you fainted." Ankara was nowhere to be found, Erwin discovered as he looked around. Björn sat at the table, elbows on his knees as he observed Erwin. Something told him that Björn didn't believe Ankara's lie. 

"You must forgive her." Björn sighed. "She is young. She tries to control her gift, but..." At this, Erwin looked at Alita. Alita hung her head low. 

"We apologize for her. She tries so hard to be helpful. Whatever she showed you is not to be told to anyone. The future is set in stone oftentimes, but we do not want to tempt fate by sneering at it." Erwin stood shakily with Alita's help. "Are you still hungry? We would be happy to provide you with food if you wish." She gently added. 

"No. No, I need to rest." Erwin took two shaky steps without support, almost tripping over himself. Alita hurried to help him, walking with him to what he assumed was his chambers while he stayed. The stone room held a bed, a table and chairs, and a large mirror with a dresser opposite it. She sat him on the bed gently, pulling back his sheets. 

"I'm sorry for the pain." She whispered, wringing her hands. 

"It's fine." He winced as he took his shoes off, and then looked up at her standing in the sunlight, a red dress gracing her slim figure. She looked at him worriedly, and he smiled to reassure her. "You can go back to eat; I don't want to keep you."

"No, I should stay here. I should see that you recover." She pulled a chair out from under the table, but before she could sit, Erwin stood and pulled her to him, her velvet sleeve soft under his fingers. Her cheeks heated as they stood in the embrace, and her breathing grew shallow and quick, her wide eyes meeting his. Her lips parted to protest but he smoothed his fingers over them, feeling the soft flesh under his thumb. Erwin drew his arm around her waist, pressing her even closer, if it were possible, and leaned his head down slowly, titling her chin up with his free hand. She rose to the tips of her toes in anticipation of meeting his lips, their breath mingling. Erwin could feel the heat, the desire pooling in his stomach, as Alita slid an arm around his back and-

_ *crash* _

The door kicked back and slammed against the dresser. Ankara burst in as Erwin pushed Alita into the chair and sat back on the bed quickly, composing himself. Ankara, wailing, ran to Erwin and pressed her wet face into his chest. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry sorry sorry!" Erwin, in shock, placed his hands on the little girl's back slowly, patting it with care and confusion. He looked across the room at Alita, who sat, just as confused. While the little girl apologized and begged for forgiveness and Erwin reassured her it was perfectly fine, he wasn't hurt, and no, he wouldn't tell, Alita rubbed her burning chest and the twinge of...something eat at her heart. Was it guilt? Disappointment? Uncertainty? There was little she could say with Ankara present, so she took her leave, pulling Ankara with her. "Let me know if you need anything." Alita murmured before shutting the door on a very, very confused Erwin.

* * *

Pyxis awoke to the sound of chair creaking in the corner of his room, and he looked over to the window. Moonlight shone brightly on his face as he looked at the little girl swinging her legs in the chair, her curls so familiar... She stood and lit a candle, and Pyxis gasped, looking at a smaller, chubby-faced doppelgänger of Alita. 

"Ankara, you scared me." 

"Sorry." The child whispered and Pyxis sat up fully, looking at the serious faced girl. 

"Did it work?" The girl looked up at him and smiled brightly, curls bouncing. 

"Of course it did! Erwin should be ready by tomorrow." With that, Ankara bounced to the window and snapped her fingers. She exploded into millions of tiny lights, and floated out of the window and off into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
bróðir - brother  
Goði - chiefs (normally religious, but for our purposes, they're chieftains of the city)  
skeecret - secret


	10. Chapter 10

Erwin awoke with a throbbing headache and a thirst that could only be quenched by a waterfall. 

Stumbling out of bed, he felt around for some kind of relief, only to reach the door and slide down to the floor in exhaustion. And there, on the ground by the door, he found a cup of water. He sniffed it and determined it was clean, then drank greedily. When he finished, he placed the cup back on the ground and stood, opening the door. Erwin heard no noise on either side of the hall, so he wandered about, looking for a familiar face or something to eat, whichever came first. Both rounded the corner in the form of Ankara, carrying a tray of fruit. When she saw him, she said not a word, but pushed the fruit in his face. "Eat. 'Lita said you were hungry." The fruit, a delicacy in Eldia, enticed him to shove at least three whole pieces in his mouth before looking down at Ankara, who stared at him. 

"Share?" He mumbled with a full mouth, who smiled and walked back to his room with him. They sat at the table - well, Ankara _stood_ on the chair in her velvet pink dress - and feasted on the full plate of fruit, enjoying it in silence. Someone knocked on the door, and Ankara yelled - with a full mouth of course - "Come in!". Alita swept in with three cups and another tray of what appeared to be meats. 

"I brought some mea-" Tripping over the cup that was filled with water before, Alita lost her grip on the food and cups, sending everything flying. Erwin jumped up to help her as she landed on her face, while Ankara watched, wide-eyed. Alita looked up, eyes half open, and blood pouring from her nose to her lips. 

"Oh! _Oh! _Ankara, a towel!" Ankara swiftly jumped from the chair to the floor and ran to retrieve one from the _en suite_.

"It's fine, it's fine; it's not broken..." Alita tried to wave him off, but he pressed a towel to her nose anyways. 

"Lean forward so the blood drains easier." Ankara, her duty finished, ran off, yelling,

"More meat! More fruit! _More drink!" _Erwin gently moved Alita to the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

"Really, Erwin, I'm fine." She gently whispered, but he continued to hold the towel to her nose, not saying a word. Finally, when the bleeding subsided, he looked at her nose, which didn't look broken or injured at all. "We heal quickly." 

"Hmmm..." They sat in silence for a moment, avoiding the real question hanging between them.

"I just-"

"I should-" They both tried to speak at the same time, but Alita pressed a hand to Erwin's leg. "You go first."

"I wanted to... apologize for yesterday. I don't know what came over me..." Erwin blushed, rubbing the back of his head. 

"No, no, I wanted to apologize, too. I should've left you alone..." They both knew the excuses were thinly veiled lies, but they didn't say a word, instead opting for sitting and blushing. Erwin placed a hand on her arm and whispered, 

"You know, though I did feel a little... strange... I was disappointed that Ankara kicked the door down." Alita looked at him, her hazel eyes dancing with mischief. 

"I thought I was the only one..." She replied coyly and Erwin smiled, taking her chin in his hand again. He dipped his head low and their lips met for the first time, gentle and soft. Erwin felt energy run straight through him to his core and then back up and down again, electrifying his senses. He placed a hand on her hip, drawing her closer, almost on his lap. "Erwin..." She sighed when he pulled away for air, so he kissed her again, and again, her hands resting on his arms as he held her. The moment seemed to draw them out of time completely, and Erwin knew he could exist in there, in her arms, for eternity. When they finally pulled away from each other, Alita exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. Erwin cupped her cheek in his hand and stared into the hazel pools for a while before the sound of approaching footsteps drew them back to reality. Alita swiftly moved to the chair and smoothed her skirt down as Björn walked through the doorway carrying plates of food. He eyed the two carefully, and sat the plates down just as Ankara reappeared, a servant behind her. She placed four cups on the table as the servant cleared the floor quietly and then disappeared as silently as they had come.

"Let's eat!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarifications:  
an "en suite" is a bathroom connected to a bedroom.
> 
> This chapter is way, way short, but I will be writing more shortly. I just really really wanted them to get to the first kiss scene, because it's been building for sooooooo long in my head. I really hope you guys are enjoying this, because I enjoy writing it. 
> 
> See you back here soon!  
\- Ellie


	11. Chapter 11

A gentle breeze ruffled Erwin's cape as he stood on a low hill, watching Ankara and Alita run about. The carefree duo danced around in circles and twirled about, making their skirts big and puffy around them. Next to him, Björn and Aaron played cards in the grass, grunting as they slapped cards down in the discard pile and laughing when they won a round. The happy-go-lucky group had not a care in the world in the summer air. Erwin envied the beautiful family, the siblings, and the friends. He remembered his own father, and how this would have been his favorite place in the whole world. It would have been a refuge, an escape from the lies and a place to learn the truth. Erwin hated that he had to return to Eldia, and sought any way that they could prolong their stay a few more days, but alas, the king had taken the book with little to say except, "Oh, thank you, I was looking for this the other day." 

Hesitantly, Erwin trudged back to the castle alone. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he wondered what would become of the people should anyone discover them. He knew Eldians would be afraid, but would they be afraid enough to do anything? It wasn't impossible that there would be men and women sent to fight against the Thiordians. But he knew the Thiordians would not hesitate to wipe them out; they had more than enough power to do so without weapons! As he traveled up the staircase, he heard footsteps walking down the hallway towards him. Pausing, he waited to see who it was, but realized that it was only the king. "Your highness." Erwin bowed at the waist to the man, who observed him quietly. When Erwin looked at the man's face, he swore he could se the milky eye swimming in a circle. The king did not speak, but made a motion for Erwin to follow him in the direction he came from. As they walked down the hall, Erwin's mind raced. The king must be displeased with him since he wasn't speaking, right? Perhaps he had done something wrong by coming back so soon. 

Or... perhaps it had to do with the kiss that morning... Erwin panicked internally. 

The king led him down a torch-lit hallway and paused at the wooden door, pulling out a key. The king looked back at Erwin, the milky eye glowing. "Tell no one what you have seen here." After the king pushed the door open, the room, dark, flooded with a bright yellow light though there were no torches. The room was covered in bookshelves that stood taller than most 15 meter Titans, and Erwin gasped at the amount of volumes contained in them. 

"There must be over a thousand books here..." He marveled, turning around himself. The king ignored his comment and climbed a bookshelf ladder to the top of a bookshelf. He read through titles and shook his head, not seeing what he searched for.

When he finally found what he was looking for, he yelled, "Ah, catch!" and threw the book down to Erwin, who didn't catch it. The book landed back cover down on the floor, and when Erwin reached over to pick it up and placed his palm on the cover, he noticed a green eye on the cover, blinking. Erwin stepped back, disgusted, but it followed him as he stumbled back. It stared at him for a moment, looking at him intently. Finally, the book slammed open and pages rapidly turned all by themselves. When the pages finally stopped turning, the king made his way down the ladder and looked at the page, which began inscribing something in a language Erwin couldn't understand. When the writing stopped, the king glanced at Erwin with wide eye and then looked back down at the page. The king slammed the book shut and hurriedly put it back, suddenly beginning to rush about, fiddling with his keys, and speed walking into the hallway.

"Your Highness, may I ask what the book said?" Erwin panted, trying to keep up with the older gentleman. The king's long white hair flowed behind him as he walked feet ahead of Erwin, muttering to himself. "What was that eye?" 

"...it's not possible for something like that to..." Erwin caught him muttering but had no idea what he meant. 

"Your Highness?" Erwin dashed to catch the man, who now took the stairs two at a time. "What are you rushing for?" The king whipped around, catching his right arm in a vise grip. The green eye the king had matched the green eye on the book, Erwin realized suddenly, and fear gripped his heart for the second time that day.

" _ Your destiny will not wait, boy."  _ Erwin stumbled back, but the king pulled him to his feet. “Come, come quickly. Get Alita. Tell her to take you to the  _ Tjörn _ . There is no time to lose, Erwin.” The king dropped his hand and Erwin took this as the cue to run back out to the fields. What was the  _ Tjörn?  _ Alita stood as soon as she saw his confused face, worry etched into his normally stoic features. 

“Your father instructed me to tell you to take me to the  _ Tjörn.  _ He implied that it was urgent.” Her face screwed up in confusion. 

“My  _ father  _ told you about the  _ Tjörn?”  _

“I have no idea what it is, but please, Alita. It must have been incredibly important for him to rush me out here to tell you.” Air whistled out of her lungs; she seemed worried about something as she turned back to her brother, who eyed the two before resting his eyes on her. She nodded slowly and Björn stood quickly, walking towards them with purpose. 

“Father wants you to go to the  _ Tjörn.”  _ He looked to Erwin, who winced when he gripped his shoulder. “Brother. We send you with joy.” Erwin frowned, suddenly more scared than he had been before. Alita took Erwin’s hand and tugged it.

“There’s no time to waste.” 

Inside the castle, Alita led him down a hallway that increasingly grew darker. The darkness enveloped them to the point that Erwin couldn’t even see his hands in front of him, and because of that, he bumped into Alita when she stopped. She exhaled and lit her hand up, which illuminated the space around them and revealed a door.

“Why didn’t you do that before?” Erwin griped, and she looked back at him, frowning.

“ _ I _ could see where I was going.” Facing forward again, she pressed her hand against the door in front of them. Runes began to appear in the door, and slowly the door filled with the blue letters before the sounds of things unlocking could be heard. The door, now lit up in a bright blue, swung open. The inside of the room was lit with torches, and solitary staircase descended into a glowing tunnel. Alita slowly took the stairs one at a time, looking around her. Erwin looked around too, and noticed the walls weren’t glowing, but they were filled with shining stones, each making a picture. The first was a blue man who, as they descended further, looked to be walking around the earth. 

“Who is this?” Erwin asked, pointing to the blue person. 

“It is the life source all pureborn Thiordans have. Its name is Alle.” Alita pressed a hand to the stones. “This is how we came to be.” Erwin found a brown man slowly walking to Alle, also searching the earth, it seemed. “Our first father, Einar, stumbled upon Alle while searching for wisdom.” The two met, hands out. “Alle led him to the  _ Tjörn _ .” Einar and Alle stood on a cliff in front of a large, white lake, backs to Erwin and Alita. Alita stepped down further and further, the torches illuminating her solemn face. The next picture showed Alle pushing Einar into the lake, and Einar fell as they descended further. Finally, it stopped, and showed only an empty cliff. “Alle pushed Einar into the  _ Tjörn,  _ which made him a presentable sacrifice to Alle.” Only Einar reappeared, but his outline was in blue stones that glowed fiercely. “Alle inhabited Einar and Einar became king of all Thiordan, uniting the tribes under one crown. But Alle left half of his spirit in the  _ Tjörn,  _ so all who are born in Thiordan can inherit the blessings of King Einar.” A wooden door stood at the bottom of the stairs, and Alita looked back at Erwin, eyes serious. “You are the first foreigner to see this. What you see and learn here is not for anyone else to know.” Erwin nodded solemnly, and Alita opened the door slowly, revealing rushing white water that gathered into a lake and the very cliff he had seen on the walls. Alita stode up to the edge and looked back, offering her hand to Erwin. “Isn’t it beautiful?” 

“Were you brought here, too?” 

“Yes, my mother brought me here when I was five.” Erwin looked to her; this was the first mention of her mother. He assumed she was dead now, and chose not to pry.

“So, why did your father want me to see this?” Erwin looked over the edge at the white water, trying to see a blue figure in the lake. 

“He didn’t want you to just  _ see  _ it.” He heard Alita whisper, and he stood quickly, looking over to her just as he felt her hands push his back, and with a gasp, he fell head-first into the  _ Tjörn.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tjörn- "lake" in Old Norse


	12. Chapter 12

_"I can't swim."_ Erwin first thought as he fell closer to the white depths. Looking in fear at Alita, who stood above him on the cliff, he cursed his lack of foresight. He should've known she would push him in the lake. There was no other reason for him to be there in the first place. As the water encased him, he thought of all of the things he should have done instead of walking down those steps. He could've run, or even pushed Alita in instead. It wouldn't have done much, but at least he would have time to take off running. Splashing about, he couldn't see a thing, only the white water that no longer felt like water. The water no felt suffocating, like he was shoved into a lake full of jelly and his lungs refused to work. 

_So she brought me here to kill me._

The minutes stretched into eternity and he flailed about, trying to find a pocket of air somewhere, something... anything... before...

* * *

Erwin jolted awake, his eyes adjusting to his surroundings. 

The room about him was familiar, and a deep sense of longing filled him. Had it been a dream? A nightmare, perhaps? It wasn't until the door to the room opened that he realized he was in a classroom, sitting at a desk. Not just any classroom, though. 

It was his father's classroom.

There were no other students around; it was just him. And walking through the door was his father. 

Erwin stood from his too-small desk and his father turned to him, eyes wide. "Erwin..." Tears sprang to Erwin's eyes as he slowly approached the bespectacled man, wary and confused. "Erwin, you've grown so tall..." The man hugged Erwin, the warmth of his body revealing that it wasn't a dream. This was really happening. 

"Father... am I dead?" The question startled him, and he pulled away, holding Erwin at arm's length.

"Very nearly, my son. You don't have much time." 

"I have so many questions... and I have to apologize..." 

"Erwin, there is nothing to be sorry for." The man reassured him, smiling gently. "You have done well for yourself. You're doing the right thing."

"There are _others. _The others did not die off as they had said. You were right!" Erwin's father smiled sadly. 

"I know this; this and much more. But we do not have time, Erwin. You must do one last thing for me." 

"Whatever it is, I'll do it. I promise, I'll do whatever you ask." Erwin bowed his head low, and his father wiped his tears. 

"Leave me here. You must go back. You cannot remain here with me any longer." Erwin looked to the open door, the outside dark and some unknown wind rattling the door back and forth. 

"But, father, I --"

"Erwin! There is much for you to do, and not enough time! Go, my son. Go and let Alle lead the way." _Alle..._ Erwin looked back to the door and reluctantly nodded. His father brought him in for another hug, and when he ended the hug and pulled back, his father was no longer there, but instead, he stood face to face with a blue man. _Alle._ Erwin watched as the man reached right through him and slowly merged with him, pure energy rattling his bones. When the merging was complete, he stood there exhaling for a moment before a voice said, _"Lifa."_

* * *

Alita waited and waited, pacing back and forth. It wasn't likely that he would die, but he might be struggling... Would he fight against Alle and not take the gift? It was taking too long...

Minutes passed almost like slow eternities, and her worry grew with every waiting moment. She shouldn't have pushed him... She should have gotten him down to the ground somehow and let him choose for himself. Forcing him to take Alle might have been the wrong thing to do, she reflected. He was an outsider, unknowingly forced into a way of life he had been born into. But her father knew best. Despite his lack of birthright, he had been recommended by the Book, and her father knew better than to ignore recommendations. The last time he had, he had l-

Violently emerging from the water, Alita watched as Erwin gasped for air and looked about, wiping his eyes of the white water that flowed down his head like white paint. Climbing the stairs beside the cliff, he silently approached her, his blue eyes serious and not at all friendly. "Erwin, I--" He held up a hand, the water all but dry now. Erwin sighed, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, and then looking at her with sympathy. 

"You did the right thing." With those words, he felt his knees buckle and he collapsed on the ground. 


End file.
